Hearts: Fans could move to protect Tynecastle

Fears remain over Tynecastle's future. Picture: Toby Wiliams

In a bid to avoid Tynecastle being sold off and turned into flats, Hearts fans want the stadium to become a listed buidling.

Tynecastle stadium is currently owned by Ukio Bankas and Hearts fans fear they could recoup some of their losses by selling Tynecastle and refusing a buyout deal from fans’ group Foundation of Hearts, reports the Sunday Mail.

Any demoliton of the stadium would be refused if it was awarded listed status, meaning it would be made impossible for any developer to knock down the satdium and use the land to build flats.

Marion Williams of the Cockburn Association, said: “Football grounds can be of great architectural value and significance.

“Tynecastle certainly comes into that category.

“I would support any application to have the main stand listed to prevent demolition.”

Historic Scotland could award the stand listed status if the application were to go through. Anyone can apply to have a favourite building or structure given listed status.

Historic Scotland said: “You need to provide supporting information about ehy the building should be listed and if there are reasons why we should prioritise it.”

“Once a building becomes listed, you then need special planning permission to demolish it or even make alterations.”

Hopes that Heart of Midlothian can emerge from administration by the end of the year were buoyed by the news that former majority shareholder Ukio Banko Investicine Grupe (Ubig) are set to be formally declared bankrupt.

A hearing is scheduled to for 24 October at Kaunas District Court, during which it is expected that bankruptcy administrators will be placed in control of the firm’s assets.

The administration process at Hearts has been in limbo for several weeks because BDO, the financial experts in control at Tynecastle, are unable to negotiate with Ubig until administrators are appointed. BDO require Ubig’s 50 per cent shareholding in the club, along with Ukio Bankas’s 29.9 stake and the ownership of Tynecastle Stadium, if they are to oversee a successful company voluntary arrangement (CVA) and sell the club to the fans’ group Foundation of Hearts.